Writing and Running for ME/CFS #12

This should have been posted yesterday, but I was somewhat otherwise occupied, so my apologies. I have two brothers in hospital at present, a house move that is proving far more problematic than any other I’ve experienced (and I’ve moved home 14 times!), a new blog I’m trying to develop (that’s at www.stuartaken.net ) and all those other everyday things we, as writers, husbands, fathers et al deal with. So, excuses made; here’s the progress report:

Writing: I’m half way through the curation of the diary excerpts, so I’ll be able to start on the actual writing of the book in the very near future. I’m intending to publish this as both digital and print so that it’s available to as many people as possible.

Running: Missed the first 15 minute run on Monday– it was freezing out there, with ice on the pavements, and the cold always affects my health badly. If anything, this factor has increased since my recovery from ME/CFS, but that might simply be because another 10 years have zoomed past since I started the condition! Anyway, I did manage the 10 minute run on Thursday and I did the 20 minute run, on Saturday, indoors, since the weather was again very cold and icy.

This week has already started well, with a 15 minute run today – still relatively cold out there, but frost and ice free. I’ve another 15 minute run due on Thursday and a 20 minute run on Saturday. Tonight, I’ll be dancing (ballroom and Latin) with my wife at our usual dance class, so that’ll be more steps on the road back to full fitness.

As soon as I have confirmation that I’ve been accepted for the targeted run, I’ll post the link for sponsorship. But that may be some months ahead, as the run takes place in August (at least it’ll be warm!)

Writing and Running for ME/CFS #10

26 miles never looked so fun Image is cropped and modified. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Running:
Disaster! I injured my back a couple of weeks ago; probably to do with preparing to move house and lifting something awkwardly. Anyway, the pain had subsided and I decided to carry on with the running last week. This week, however, the pain returned with a vengeance, so I was unable to run at all. Did manage a few short walks and, today, managed a 3 mile walk with my lovely wife. So, next week, I should be fine again.

Writing:
The preparation of the book continues. I'm still sorting through the many diary entries. Got through a good number so far and I'm working forward through the recorded years. It's a slow process, filtering out the irrelevant from the text. It also brings old memories back to the surface, some of which I had completely forgotten. But it's an essential part of the preparation if I'm to tell as true a tale as possible.  So, bear with me, I'll get there eventually.

The house move has been a real eater of time and energy and I'll be so glad when we're finally settled in our new home and life can return to something approaching normal. Or as normal as it ever gets for us!

Writing and Running for ME/CFS #9

P writing blue (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Is it really only 9 weeks since I started this?

Writing:
The book is progressing. I managed to preserve all the dates of the diary entries ( a long job, but necessary). And I have now started the selection process. This will be another longish job as I have over 200 pages of diary entries and each one has to be read to detect anything of relevance or value to the book. Still, we're getting there. Allowing my subconscious to work on possible covers at present, and toying with some title options. I'll put some of these out shortly, to see what you think of them.

Running:
In spite of the back injury (which is still niggling a little) I managed my programme of 3 runs this week. That's 2 at 10 minutes each and one at 20 minutes. To think it took me all my energy to walk 100 yards at the height of the ME/CFS, and here I am running again! It's fantastic, and I hope it gives some encouragement to all those who are still suffering with the condition. Hoping the back will allow me to do the 15 minute run I'm due tomorrow. See how I feel in the morning.

So, still on track, though the house move is definitely a bind. Be very glad when all is finalised and we're in the new home so I can concentrate on what really matters again.

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Writing and Running for ME/CFS #8

Washing machine- without front (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Writing: Well; could have been better. I’ve been continuing with the curating of the diary entries, as I need to have them copied to a single file, so I can highlight and extract the relevant sections. But, in their weird wisdom, Microsoft seem to think that a date in a document should automatically change to the date the document is edited. Why they think that, I can’t imagine. In fact, I’m finding it hard to think of any circumstances in which it would be helpful to have a pre-existing date automatically change to the current date in any document. No doubt someone will enlighten me.

The point is, that in copying the documents over to a single file, all the entry dates changed to the date of copying. Something I hadn’t noticed at the time. This meant, of course, that I had to start again. Fortunately, I still have the original documents! But how to preserve the dates of the diary entries?

I use a desktop iMac with MS Word, because I’m familiar with that word processor. It took a while to discover how I could ensure the dates didn’t alter. A blend of highlighting the date and then pressing a combination of the ‘fn’, ‘cmd’ and ‘f11’ keys. But, of course, this has to be done for every date and can’t be applied to the whole document! Now, there’s a really helpful user-friendly solution. Do you think programmers make these things deliberately obtuse so that we are all left in the dark to struggle, and therefore made to believe they are somehow clever? Surely, any programmer worth his salt (and I use the male pronoun advisedly) could devise a way of preserving all dates in a document with a couple of keystrokes?

Anyway, the outcome is that I am still in the process of amending all the dates in the diaries before I can even start the proper curating. Oh, good!

Running: This week I was supposed to do 2 sessions of 10 minute running followed by a session of 15 minute running today. I managed my Monday run with no problem. However…

At the moment, we’re in the process of moving house and the packing has begun. Last week, the seal on the washing machine decided to split so, as it’s insured, we had an engineer booked to fix it. The washing machine stands in a corner with a tumbler dryer atop. In order to get to the back of washing machine, so he could change the seal, I had to lift the tumbler dryer off the top of the washer. No problem: it’s bulky and awkward, but not particularly heavy.

Turns out I didn’t need to lift it off; the job could be done from the front! No matter. I’d done it. When the man left, I decided to replace the tumbler dryer. Mistake. My back went. I have a slight weakness, which manifests itself from time to time in severe pain for a couple of days after an event followed by a period of delicate necessity.

So, no running until next week!

Writing and Running for ME/CFS #7

Writing (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The running continues to go well. This week, I started a new programme. So, a 10 minute run on Tuesday and another on Friday. Nothing for today, but tomorrow I start on 3 runs per week. I seem to be managing the training okay for the moment and I'm certainly getting fitter as the weeks go by.

The writing is also progressing. I've asked my wife and my daughter to produce some of their own words to describe how they felt during the course of my ME/CFS. I want to try to make the book as helpful to as many people as possible, and a view from a carer and a child of a sufferer should help with those perspectives.
I've started curating the diary entries, a fairly major task in itself. There are long periods without entries, of course, but i think the periods where there are entries will help form a more complete picture of the condition and its effects on me and my family.

So, progress continues. Life is a little hectic at present, with the house sold and the process of moving starting. Also, made a visit to Manchester on Friday/Saturday, so Kate to attend a job interview there.

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Writing and Running for ME/CFS #6

Progress for the 8 week period.

A rather peculiar week. My daughter had a minor mishap with her car on Thursday, which rendered it
unusable and in need of repair. We dashed the 12 miles to her place of work to get her safely home at 02:00 and this rather disrupted plans, especially as she works odd shifts and public transport won't serve her for those. So Dad has had to become taxi driver until the car is repaired.
The event didn't impact on my running, but it did have an effect on my writing.

The running has gone to plan and I've now completed the challenge, which was to run for 20 minutes by the end of the 8 week period. I also lost 4 lbs in weight. A bit more wouldn't go amiss, but it'll come off over the weeks, no doubt. So, that's the first level of fitness achieved.

I've started a new plan, which commences on Tuesday. No walking on this  one; all running. So I'm going to get fitter more quickly, and it lasts the whole period from now until the projected day of the actual half marathon I'm aiming for. More on that target once the ballot has been held and I've got a place!

The writing of the account of my experience of ME/CFS?
Well, I did manage a few notes. We're in the process of selling the house at present, so it's difficult to get into the sort of routine I prefer when I'm creating a new piece. But this will all settle with time. It's a little hectic, but I'll get there.

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Writing and Running for ME/CFS #5

Training progress for this week.

The running goes well. This week I had to do 3 x 3 minute runs followed by 3 x 1 minute walks followed by 3 x 2 minute runs followed by 3 30 seconds of walking on Tuesday. Friday was a 40 minute easy walk. Today I did my second 10 minute easy run. I knew I'd find this a bit tougher, as I had a 'flu jab yesterday and am suffering a minor level of the usual symptoms, but I thought the run might help disperse those negative effects so went ahead anyway. Glad I did, as I completed the run in the right time. So, still on course.

The writing is still at the preparation stage, a bit more research and a start on curating the diary entries to determine which pieces I need to include. So, that's also on course, though I do hope to make a start on the actual writing some time this week.

As Dan, my publisher at Fantastic Books Publishing would say, 'Onward!'

Writing and Running for ME/CFS #3

Today's route, run twice.

Just back from my training session this morning. Toughest, so far. Had to do 3 mins running followed by 1 min walking with 6 repeats. Managed 2 miles, in  just over 22 minutes, so not too bad. Sweating now, though.

Must do my stretches before I shower, and let myself cool down a little, of course.

Still on track.

This week's programme consisted of Tuesday - 6 minute easy run, followed by 2 minute easy walk done twice. Friday, 25 minute brisk walk, in which I did the walk Valerie and I normally take 31 minutes to compete. And then, today, as above.

Writing and Running for ME/CFS #2

Returning from Friday's running session.

This week’s update on progress.

The running continues to the training programme. This week I did a 20 minute brisk walk on Tuesday. A running session on Friday, consisted of running for 4 minutes and walking for 2 minute, repeated 3 times, so a total of 12 minutes running. And today I took a 3 mile walk over 50 minutes with my wife, in place of the required ‘30 minute easy walk’. The training plan I’m following is intended to prepare someone who isn’t very fit for a twenty minute running session at the end of 8 weeks. I’ve just completed the first 4 weeks, and I’m managing to keep to the programme, or to exceed it, so all going well so far.

The writing of the ME/CFS book hasn’t gone far yet  - I’ve been working on some appendices to go into the back of book 3 of the epic fantasy trilogy. My publisher wants to publish Convergence: A Seared Sky in time for Xmas, so I need to ensure it’s absolutely ready for him. And I decided I would include all the myths and legends that form the basis for the actual story as appendices in the final volume. It’s one of those jobs that you feel should be straightforward, until you start on it. Then you discover there are more than you remembered, names have changed during the writing, and some changes to format need doing. But it’s all great for me, as I enjoy the writing.

However, on the ME/CFS book front, I’ve resurrected the files of the diaries I kept during the period of illness. They’re a bit patchy, but they contain details I’d forgotten, so will be a useful resource when I start the actual writing.

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Writing and Running for ME/CFS

After the first run.

Generally, I cover writing topics on this blog. But some things in the life of this author are only indirectly associated with writing, and the following is one of these.

For 10 years, from November 2002, when I caught an odd viral infection, I suffered from ME/CFS until just after I retired from employment in April 2013. Leaving work, an environment I found stressful for reasons I’ll discuss later, relieved me of the pressures that were most responsible for the continuation of the condition. I feel I’m now fully recovered (or as recovered as possible).

I’m not going into details here, merely announcing my intention to write an account of my period with ME/CFS in book form. I want to share empathy with and hope for those still suffering the condition, and provide help and personal insights for those involved with sufferers. I’ll donate 50% of the proceeds of the book to the charity that helped me from the beginning. Action for ME was there with advice and information right from the start and I want to support this organisation. I chose the charity as the recipient of 10% of revenue generated by my books published by Fantastic Books Publishing. It’s part of the contract with this company that this amount is donated to a charity of the author’s choice, you see.

As a result of the improvement in health, I’ve decided to regain fitness after so many unavoidably sedentary years. I’ve started training for a half marathon. At present, I can’t say which one this will be, as I’m not yet able to register for it, but I’ve registered an interest and await the announcement of the date on which entries can be made. For that run, I also intend to collect money for Action for ME.

The purpose of this post is to let my readers know my intentions. In future, I’ll make weekly reports of my training progress. As a 66 year old who last ran a half marathon in the early 1980s, that time to raise funds for a local hospice in Colchester, I’ve a good deal of catching up to do.

I began training 3 weeks ago, using a programme suggested by the Great Run website. Today, I performed my first real run. It was only for 5 minutes, followed by 2 minutes walking and then 4 sessions each of 1 minute running and 1 minute walking, but it was the first time I’ve spent that amount of time actually running without a pause for many years. I felt that if I could manage this challenge, then I’ve a good chance of completing the first stage of training, which aims to get me running for 20 minutes by the end of the 8 week period.

So, watch this space. Maybe join me in the effort, if you feel so inclined. Some time in the future, I’ll place a link here to enable people to sponsor me for the actual run. But that won’t come until I’m actually registered for a specific half marathon, which may be some months hence.

Sorry for the lengthy post, but I want to ensure that regular readers understand why I’ve decided to do this and why I’m placing the record on this blog. I’ve made a start on the training, and I’ve also made a start on the book, by obtaining copies of my medical records for the period concerned – interesting reading! As my publisher, Dan Grubb of Fantastic Books Publishing, would say, ‘Onward!’

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